Rockville Centre's Confide Counseling hosts annual luncheon

The Confide Counseling Center honored officers from the Rockville Centre and Nassau County police departments at its ninth annual Criminal Justice Awards, a luncheon ceremony on Sept. 17 at the Maple Avenue firehouse.

It was the fifth year that the ceremony was held at the firehouse, and recipients were honored for their unique partnership with Confide’s staff in helping to curtail drug crime and trafficking and assisting people battling addiction.

State Sen. Dean Skelos, a Republican from Rockville Centre, thanked everyone for the hard work that made the ceremony possible. “I appreciate the good work of Confide,” said Skelos. “I ask everyone to reflect upon all who are on hand today, because we all have the same goal, which is helping people in need and saving lives.”

Art Rosenthal, Confide’s executive director, recognized Rockville Centre’s village employees for their help in fighting drug use and addiction, both of which have been on the rise throughout the county. “The village has been behind us for years,” said Rosenthal, who honored former Rockville Centre Police Commissioner Jack McKeon with an award for his partnership with Confide during McKeon’s tenure.

Charles Gennario, the village’s current police commissioner, presented the RVC Confide award to this year’s winner, Detective Michael Meehan. Gennario described Meehan, a 20-year law enforcement veteran, as an outstanding worker, and the detective also received certificates from Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray in recognition of his years of exemplary service.

Rockville Centre Mayor Mary Bossart, Deputy Mayor Charles Joyce, village Trustees Edward Oppenheimer and David Krasula, former Mayor Eugene Murray and former Village Justice Frank Yannelli were on hand to pay tribute to the award recipients, who included Nassau County District Judge Christopher Quinn and Nassau County Police Department Narcotics Detectives Dwight Hill and Nelson Lopez.

Confide, a nonprofit, state-licensed agency that has helped people overcome substance abuse and related issues since 1971, is dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone in the community. Its work, detailed in a recent Herald series about heroin addiction, focuses mostly on residents of Rockville Centre, Hempstead and Lakeview.

Debbie Gross, the organization’s clinical director, noted that the awards ceremony honors the law enforcement agents with whom its staff works. “We select people who contribute to what we do and what we stand for,” said Gross. “Art [Rosenthal] puts a lot of work into the event, and there’s tremendous collaboration between our organization and the police departments.”

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